


And They Were Soulmates

by Klauscarolove



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Canon Related, Canon Universe, Klaroline, Not Canon Compliant, Soulmates, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klauscarolove/pseuds/Klauscarolove
Summary: Caroline intercepts a spell meant for Elena. Time Travel happens. What will the gang think when they see how Caroline's future turns out?
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Klaroline - Relationship
Comments: 85
Kudos: 420





	1. Part 1

Something felt…off. She hand a strange feeling that she felt something like this before but she couldn’t quite place the exact sensation. As she blinked to take in her surroundings, she found herself in a place she hadn’t seen in a very long time. A place she didn’t really care to see for a long while more. The Salvatore Boarding house. The floor of the Salvatore Boarding house to be specific. What the hell? Why was she here and why was she surrounded by so many faces she hadn’t seen in so long? Some faces she thought impossible to ever see again, they had long since passed…

“What the hell, Barbie, what's wrong with you? We had one shot at this and now there’s no chance to turn Elena back” Damon spit at her. How dare he talk to HER like that, the last time she saw him was 113 years ago and Klaus held him back as she took a brutal swing to his dumb face. He should know better than to ever cross her.

“Damon, hush. Care, are you okay? Why did you do that?” Stefan tried to mediate. Stefan. It had been about 70 years since she had last seen him, and while they didn’t end things on the best of terms after their last conversation she also knew they would be okay in the long run, that he just needed time to process everything that had happened with Elena and Damon. But this wasn’t the tired and accepting face she expected to see when she next looked at the younger Salvatore. No, this was the pained expression that lived on his face back when he first learned of Elena’s indecision, of her hidden desires for his brother. 

“I can try again, it isn’t easy and I’ll need to rest for maybe a day before we go again but we can still do this, Elena will be human again.” Bonnie. Beautiful Bonnie Bennett stood there as unwavering as ever. Caroline could’ve cried. How she missed her. She wanted to run to Bonnie and hold her close and never let her go but as she began to process more and more of the room she began to freak out.

She observed the faces of people she once considered her broken little family. Faces of people who hurt her, people who loved her, people who no longer trusted her, and some who would simply cease to exist. Stefan, Damon, Elena, Matt and Bonnie stood before her as if it was normal, as if it was just another day of cooking up plots in the Salvatore living room.

Something is wrong. Not just wrong, but terribly wrong, she could feel it in her bones. Where was Klaus? She had just been with him, hadn’t she? He was right next to her. Did she just dream that up? Was she dreaming right now? She needed to see Klaus.

As she started to hyperventilate she felt a warm hand on her delicate upper arm, attempting to help her stand. Her eyes shot to it’s owner and she nearly passed out. Tyler Lockwood looked at her with every bit of kindness she used to see and none of the pure malice he favored these days. His kindness and gentleness made her want to vomit. This isn’t right!

“Where’s Klaus? I need to see Klaus! NOW!” She breathed as she pulled her arm from Tyler’s grasp and scrambled to her feet in front of them.

Everyone in the room looked at each other, some eyes holding concern and confusion, others judgement and disgust. “What does Klaus have to do with this, Care? Why do you need Klaus?” Stefan stared reaching towards her.

“No! Don’t touch me just get me Klaus. Where is he? Why isn’t he here with me?” She all but shouted.

“Care, Klaus is in New Orleans, remember? He left about a year ago….” Stefan answered, silently deciphering the ‘with me’ bit in her fevered plea.

New Orleans? He hadn’t been to New Orleans in years. He got bored with it shortly after killing Marcel and taking back his rightful spot as king. She thought he had left Rebekah in charge, a city to do with as she pleased. Room to grow into her own and be her own woman. Klaus wouldn’t have taken it back so abruptly, he sure as hell wouldn’t have left her behind to do it. 

“What the hell does he have to do with anything?! What are you talking about, Caroline?” Tyler started questioning. The name Klaus brought the hatred to his eyes that she would expect to see there but she couldn’t care to analyze this anymore. She just needed to find Klaus and they would solve whatever psycho witch thought it okay to mess with them and they’d be done. Back to their life and on to their next adventure. 

“I need Klaus. Here. Now. The sooner you get Klaus the less messy this will end for you all.” A slight threat, yes, but an attempt to spare her old gang of misfits endless pain as well. Klaus is terrifying when people mess with him, but he is an absolute, cold-blooded, merciless beast when Caroline is involved. Even she cannot tame the wolf that lies beneath when his rage is so sharp. 

At the beginning mumbles of displeasure, paired with her already alarming state, Caroline shrieked “I will not hear it!” Every voice fell silent. “Bring Klaus to me. Now. I will not discuss this. We will sort this out once he is present. I refuse to hear anymore from any of you until then. Do you understand me?!” With the silent and shocked faces that balked back at her, Caroline darted for an empty room on the second floor to gather herself. What the hell was going on? Before she had a chance to sort through things in her mind, her body collapsed.

\- - -

“Well, mate, I must say this is quite the surprise. The doppelgänger finally decide to shack up with Damon? Or perhaps you’re bored and ready to have some vampiric fun, sans morals?”

“Klaus. I don’t know what’s going on but I need you to get on a plane and get here. Now.” Stefan began.

“Now Rippah, what makes you think I have any desire to help your gang of misfits out of whatever supernatural hole you’ve dug yourselves into, hmm?” Klaus responded, annoyed at such a demand from someone he owed nothing to.

“It’s Caroline, Klaus. She’s asking for you. I don’t really know whats going on but ther-“ The line went dead. “Klaus? Hello?” Stefan tried.

“Good job, Stef, now we’ll have an angry hybrid at our door and something tells me he’s gonna figure out our plans to turn Elena human and something else tells me he’s not gonna leave without her.” Damon bit out. He was pissed. Why would Stefan call Klaus back to Mystic Falls when they had spent so much time getting him out of there. 

“Seriously, what the hell. What does Klaus have to do with any of this? Why would you call him” Tyler shouted out.

“What, your big brawny ego bruised after your would-be girlfriend practically begged for the alpha’s presence? Don’t worry, I’d be embarrassed too.” Damon provoked.

Stefan stepped between the two,“Everyone calm down. Caroline obviously isn’t herself right now. She just shoved herself into the middle of a spell and now she’s freaking out. If anyone has answers, it’ll be Klaus.” 

\- - -

Two and a half hours later, as the six of them sat pondering in the living room, the door to the boarding house swung open with a loud bang. Everyone waited with bated breath while the original hybrid huffed at the entrance.

"Klaus, look-“ Stefan began to explain.

“Where is she.” Klaus interrupted, calm as ever.

Before anyone could get out an answer, Tyler impulsively lunged at the original, sheer rage painting his face. With one hand still behind his back, Klaus caught the young hybrid by the throat and held him off the ground. “Watch yourself, mate, I may have spared your life for Caroline’s sake but if you try something like that again I won’t hesitate to do you in like I did your pathetic mother.” 

Tyler gnashed his teeth towards Klaus while trying to free his neck of the hybrids steel grip. “Tyler, stop! Tyler!” The group begged him. Klaus tossed him to the ground in the middle of the group. As Damon and Matt scrambled to get Tyler under control, Bonnie and Elena cleared the couch to sit him down. Klaus approached the younger Salvatore, his patience wearing thin. 

“Where is she Stefan? If I find out this was some ruse to get me here so you can attempt to kill me once again I will kill you, old friends or not.” He threatened. “This way, she locked herself up here a few hours ago.” Stefan replied as he moved his way to the stairs. 

Klaus followed Stefan to the room he could hear breathing coming from. Taking a deep breath, he was slightly reassured when he took in her familiar fragrance. Stefan called her name and knocked gently once, twice, no response.

“Sweetheart, I’m flattered to hear you asked for me. Surely you didn’t require my presence to observe the door.” Klaus teased. Still no response. “Caroline, love” Stefan and Klaus eyed each other for an instant before Klaus palmed the handle and twisted until it broke. Shouldering the door open, both men inhaled sharply as they saw Caroline’s body on the floor of the room. 

Klaus sped to her limp body so quickly Stefan’s supernatural abilities couldn’t even pick up on the movement. Deftly lifting her upper body to lean on his squatting thigh, Klaus tried to draw her awake. “What happened?” Klaus fumed. “We were attempting a spell on Elena and-“ Stefan explained but before he could finished Klaus flashed down to the living room with Caroline’s body.

“What happened, witch. You’d best explain everything before I begin killing people in this room, I’ll start with the doppelgänger” Klaus spewed at Bonnie. The young witch sat startled for a few seconds before collecting herself and speaking to the hybrid standing threateningly in the middle of the room holding her dear friends’ body.

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault. We were attempting a spell to send Elena back to the night on Wickery Bridge. We thought if we could keep Rebekah from sending them off the bridge then she’d stay human and hopefully return that way. In the middle of the spell Caroline tackled her down and out of the salt circle. She passed out on the floor and woke up a few seconds later freaked out and asking where you were. You should be happy, we were trying to make Elena human! No cure needed.”

Klaus stood still, cradling Caroline throughout Bonnie’s entire explanation. When the witch was finished speaking he calmly walked Caroline over to a vacant settee and cautiously laid her body against the baroque material. He turned again to face the witch with a blank expression and cool demeanor. “ A time travel spell. Inventive. I’m sure you fancy yourself quite the creative. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, witch, why I have not deigned to attempt the use of such magic?” He began, completely tranquil, “Why I, a 1000-year-old hybrid who has seen acts of magic you cannot begin to comprehend, would not use a time travel spell to get the blood I need for my hybrids?” His voice began to slowly incline in fervor. “Or why I, a child to the original witch herself, would not have simply used time travel to assure Katerina could not kill herself before my ritual?! DID YOU EVER ONCE THINK I HAD STRONG REASONING TO AVOID SUCH SPELLS?” He bellowed.

The room shook in fear. He did not have much knowledge around time travel magic, had only seen it attempted once before. He had been making his way down the silk trail with Kol at the time. They were delighting in the fascinating finds being transported and the delicious blood of the transporters. Kol had amassed a small following of witches, some begging to be turned. Kol always turned his very favorites and happened to turn the wrong witch. Her father caught wind and attempted the very spell Bonnie had just used to return his daughter to him. Rather than returning her, her present self had disappeared, lost to the spell that bent space and time around her. 

“Look, it was a mistake okay. We messed up, it won’t happen again,” Elena finally spoke up from her place on the couch. 

“You’re bloody right you won’t, I’ll be taking that spell with me when I leave to assure you don’t. But first let me make myself clear of one thing. If Caroline is lost to this foolish spell nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop me from murdering this entire town. You, your families, your distant relatives will all meet your end. Katerina will shake in her grave knowing that someone met an even worse fate than she by my own hand. Is that understood?”

Elena balked slightly at that before she continued, “Klaus, we all want her back, safe and sound. We’ll fix this, okay? Bonnie can look into-“ 

The gasp from the settee in the corner drew everyone’s attention. Klaus let out a minute breath before stepping forwards. Tyler pushed around him and practically flew to her side.

For the second time that day Caroline surveyed the room, reacquainting herself with her surroundings, piecing together the situation.

“Caroline, hey, are you alright, you’re back to normal, right? It’s been a crazy day. God I’m glad you’re you again.” Tyler spoke rapidly as he grabbed her shoulders and squeezed her harshly against his body. 

She felt so disoriented. What was going on. What was Tyler talking about ‘normal’ and being herself again. She was Caroline, of course she was her. As she began to hyperventilate again she closed her eyes and took in the room. Even crushed up against Tyler’s nervous body, with a nose full of his overbearing cologne, she caught one small whiff of him. She new that smell. She would always know that smell. It was burned into her skin.

She gently sandwich her hands between her and Tyler’s bodies and pushed him back. He was clearly expecting a kiss, a reminder of them, and proof to the room who she wanted to be with. He began leaning in but as he readied for a kiss, she whipped her head around and laid her eyes on the owner of that one particular scent of pine, woods, and clean cotton. 

Klaus. Finally. 

“Klaus,” she breathed

The whole room looked at her, waiting to see if she was okay, if she was normal, why she needed Klaus, what was going on. She noticed none of it, only those eyes. The gray blue pools she felt like she hadn’t seen in ages. By nature, her body pushed off the settee and away from Tyler.

Klaus was waiting too, waiting to see if she was okay. Wondering why she was looking at him like he was her whole world, and then wondering why he would look such a gift horse in the mouth. He had never been looked at like that in all this thousand years. He longed for it, he wanted to capture that look for eternity because he knew somehow it couldn’t be real. He was frozen to his spot, he couldn’t breathe, he could only wait.

Caroline practically floated to him. She didn’t know what was going on, why she was here, how some of these people where alive. She only knew that he was here, alive and okay, and that made everything okay. Before anyone knew what was happening she had her hands at the nape of his neck and she was kissing him.

Oh did she kiss him, Klaus felt like he had died and gone to heaven. He was over a millennia old and had shared hundreds of thousands of kisses but none could compare to this. If the Salvatores still owned a white oak stake, they could have staked him right then and there. He was not in his own body. He had never had such little control. He was drunk on it, this feeling, he needed more. As Caroline held him for dear life, still moving her lips against his, he snuck his tongue out to hers. Caroline moaned deeply and he whimpered, a pitiful little thing he would be kicking himself over later if he had the brain power to even process it.

Seconds passed, almost a whole minute, before Caroline pulled away. With her hands still at his neck, playing with the baby hairs there, she finally spoke “Hi, my love.”

The tension in the room cracked, the onlookers with it.

“Wha- What the fuck?!?!” 

“Holy Shit!”

“Jesus, Caroline!”

As the yelling started, Klaus was fighting an absolute daze. His brain had stopped functioning. He was nothing but that kiss. But as his beautiful baby vampire turned away from him and took with her those sinful lips he began to realize what she had said. ‘My love’ “MY love’, like she owned him. She had jumped in the way of that spell, a time travel spell….. that could only mean….

“Quiet.” Stefan commanded. The room went silent, save for one quick comment from Damon about how the hybrid finally joined them all back on earth. Before the ruckus and accusations could start again, Stefan grabbed Caroline by the shoulder to face him.

“Care, what’s going on, why did you do, well, that?” At that Tyler started towards her but Damon cut him off.

Caroline looked around the room, and then to Klaus before returning her eyes to Stefan. “Wha- I don’t know what you mean. I know you aren’t his biggest fan, and I know you don’t 100% support it but I thought we moved passed this, Stef.”, she said solemnly. “Moved passed what care?”, he asked in the same tone.

She moved back towards Klaus’ body, standing directly in front of him whilst still facing the group. “Me and Klaus,” she said as she reached behind with her right hand to grab his right hand, wrapping it around her lower stomach, “Us.” She reached behind her for his left wrist. “ Our Marriage.” Everyone gasped, with a million things to say but no ability to fabricate words. She wrapped his left arm around her as well and slid her hand from his wrist to hold the back of his hand over her abs. 

Klaus, who had been frozen to this spot, only now beginning to piece together what he could, began speaking. “Sweetheart, I-“ as he tried to formulate his words she felt his left hand on hers. She wasn’t wrong earlier when she knew something was seriously wrong. She looked over her right shoulder into his eyes when she realized that for the first time since their wedding almost a century ago, there was no wedding ring on his finger.


	2. Part 2

Breathe Caroline. So what you were in the Salvatore boarding house one minute and now you’re in an unidentified apartment. This is fine, everything is fine! _Breathe!_

Okay, walk through it. She had been at the boarding house because there was some new plot cooked up to return Elena to her pure little human self again. Why were they doing that? Elena wasn’t even 100% sure she wanted to be human again. If she had to guess it was that Stefan wanted the old Elena back and Damon wanted to one-up him to prove his _whatever it was_ to Elena.

_Shit. Focus Caroline!_

She knew that spell was shoddy. She knew messing with space and time to get whatever they wanted was going to have consequences, big ones. Yeah, so _maybe_ tackling Elena out of the way wasn’t her smartest idea but it was very spur of the moment.

She tackled Elena, and then what? Everything after that was just kind of….blank. So why is she know sitting on the most luxurious white cream couch in an exquisitely decorated apartment?

_There are definitely worse unidentified places to wake up to._

She sits there, in both awe and confusion, trying to piece together the puzzle she’s found herself in. These weren’t even clothes either. The silk blouse she wore had to cost more alone than her car payment! _What the hell?_

So engrossed is she in her own little world that she had failed to hear the sound of another being in what must be the bedroom.

“Sorry, my love, that was ‘Lijah calling to check in. He ran into some trouble with some old friends in Shanghai and wanted to catch up. He sends his regards.”

She new that voice. She’d never _not_ know that voice, no matter how hard she may try to bleach it from her brain. It’s the very voice that haunts her dreams from time to time, and every now and then it even sneaks into her fantasies. _Damn him._

“Okay, I don’t know if you’ve gotten dementia in your old age or you think that somehow whisking me away to some fancy apartment in God knows where, against my will I might add, will make me change my mind about anything but this is another level for you. Like, über creepy!” She berated the hybrid who had just walked out of the bedroom in dark jeans and a cotton Henley that hugged his torso beautifully.

He looked at her strangely for a moment before replying, “I’m not sure I understand, sweetheart. Paris was your idea.” He began striding towards her comfortably, “Besides, what would I have to change your mind about?” He finished as he neared her.

Caroline was used to the look in his eye. She may not have seen him for a year but it was the same look he had given her the night of graduation. The same look she had seen in his eyes a few times before but she refused to pick apart the meaning behind it.

So yes, she was used to that look, but she was not prepared for his casual comfort near her.

Usually he would walk with confident swagger, with an heir of ‘I’m better than you, and I know it’.

But this. This easiness, this comfort, this…dare she say _softness_ in his demeanor was strange. She wasn’t prepared for it to say the least. She was even less prepared for his arms to wrap around her torso in a lovers embrace.

“What the hell!” She shouted as she pushed his body away from hers.

“Caroline, sweetheart, what’s going on?”

“I should be asking you that question! Why am I here, where are all my friends. I thought we left things on good terms! Why would you DO this to me?” She started to get worked up.

“Caroline hey, hey,” he braved as he approached her delicately, like an injured deer. “Everything is okay, you’re safe,”

Gently, he brought comforting hands to the sides of her jaw. “It’s me, love, you don’t have anything to worry about. You know that. Now why don’t we-“

Before he could finish his sentence he was sent backwards by a shove to his chest from the blonde vampire.

“Like hell I’m safe! How DARE you! How dare you say I’m safe or that I don’t have anything to worry about!” She raged as he righted himself.

“Caroline, you _are_ safe and you have nothing to worry about from _me_ at least. If we could just talk for a moment.” He interjected before being cut off again.

“I have EVERYTHING to worry about when a thousand year old hybrid decides he’s done waiting and instead _kidnaps_ me to do God only knows what!”

“Sweetheart, you need to calm down. I don’t understand.”

“No way in hell! I’m serious Klaus. We ended things on a good note. I thought we were good. I won’t forgive you for this. I will never speak to you again after I get the hell out of here.”

“CAROLINE” he bellowed, one might think in rage but those who knew him better would see the cold fear shoot through him like ice. At his outburst, he flashed across the room to pin her shoulders to the wall.

That shut her up.

“I haven’t any more clue as to what’s going on than you do so why don’t you calmly walk me through what’s happened and we will figure it out.”

She stared at him, not sure what to say.

“Are you hurt? You don’t seem like yourself.” No response.

“Are you mad? What is it you think I’ve done?”

“It’s not _think_ , I know,” she bit out, “You’ve done a lot of bad things, Klaus but I never thought you would stoop so low. I thought you were willing to wait! I need to live my life for myself. I need to experience things and I need to grow into my own.” she began pleading.

Slowly, his hands left her shoulders as he began backing away from her.

“I just- I just thought you understood me. I thought you knew I needed time to live out all my human dreams.” She spoke softly now.

He was frozen, nearly two feet away from her now. What had happened. This wasn’t his Caroline. Well, it was his Caroline but she didn’t seem to remember all the things that made her so.

“Caroline,” he croaked out.

“Don’t look at me like that, don’t look at me like _I_ hurt _you_. You didn’t really expect that you could just steal me away and I’d stay.” She challenged

“Love, I need you to listen to me for just a moment.”

“What?!”

“You came to me, love.”, he spoke softly, “Of your own volition. You showed up at my door193 years ago. I don’t know whats going on, I just, I don’t know what I’ve done”. His voice just barely breaking as he finished.

Caroline had gone pale in the face. She felt sick. 193 years?! To her knowledge, she was the ripe old age of 20. She wasn’t even technically legal to drink and he’s telling her that she’s well over 200 now?! She felt sick. “Wh-what did you say? How long?”

“Caroline, my love, I-, we-“ Klaus floundered for the right words. Speech was not coming to him at the moment.

“Klaus, I’m scared. I thinks something’s really really wrong. Look I was at the boarding house one minute and I’m here the next. I don’t know how I got here!” She panicked.

“Caroline, you haven’t been to the Salvatore boarding house in eons. We haven’t even been to America in at least 75 years.” He informed her slowly, desperately trying to keep her calm, even more desperate to figure out what has happened to his beautiful blonde.

“I need you to tell me everything that you can remember. Now, please. I promise you I haven’t done anything. Just walk me through it.” He regarded her like a frightened mare, giving her the space she seemed to crave, the space his wife would never want.

She stared at him for a few seconds before beginning.

“I was at the boarding house. Stefan is desperate to get the old Elena back, she’s done nothing but cause him and Damon to fight for the last year. I thought that after she got to college and started becoming her own person then she would find some clarity on her feelings and finally be able to make a decision but I was wrong. She totally hasn’t, she’s just switched back and forth and back and forth.” She began before slipping off into a light tangent.

“Just for the record, if I pulled something like that they’d all judge me! Can you imagine if I flipped back and forth between you and Tyler constantly? Like, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that me and Tyler probably won’t spend forever together but I’m not gonna continue to lead you on while I’m with him! Like I have the decency to finish one thing before I move on to the next. And, look, I’m totally not ready for eternity right now so whats wrong with having a filler boyfriend?! Eternity is… That’s like, major big, okay! And I don’t want to be some dumb girl who leaves behind her dreams for a guy. I deserve to be who I want to be, not that you wouldn’t want that for me too, but I mean I’m only 20! I have-“

“Caroline, sweetheart, you’re rambling and we have bigger things to deal with, don’t you think?” he teased.

He was very concerned when she brought up the Salvatores and their doppelgänger drama. He was downright pissed when she mentioned his hybrid traitor.

As concerned as he was, he couldn’t help but be pleased that through whatever magical mix up has taken over their lives she was still the Caroline he loved. Pleased that through whatever drama was happening she still had that connection to him that would never be able to be severed.

“Yes, sorry, that was, uh-“, she blushed. “Anyways, Bonnie found a spell and came up with this really insane idea and I knew I had to stop it and so yeah maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing but I kinda, sorta, maybe _intervened_.” She sneaked out.

He knew. It was the only explanation. Bonnie Bennet passed years ago, her magic only keeping her alive for about a century longer than her normal humanity would take her. Carolinecut Elena out of her life, the negativity and selfishness ruining their once friendship. The Salvatores were a separate drama he didn’t even want to think about.

The Caroline standing in front of him was only a year older than the girl he had stood with on that field after graduation. The Caroline standing in front of him hadn’t even finished her first college experience. The Caroline standing in front of him wouldn’t even come to his hotel room for another 56 years. “I think you’d best sit down, sweetheart.”

As she followed his command he continued, “I’m assuming this plan involved a little spell that was going to send the doppelgänger back in time,” he inquired.

“Yes, how’d you know?” She was suspicious. She could put it together herself, they both knew it, but she couldn’t admit it out loud. It was too big. Too many implications.

“Caroline, I will tell you everything I can but before I do I need you to know that whatever it takes, I will right this. Things will return to normal, I swear it.”

With her nod of acknowledgement, he began slowly. “First off, we are in Paris. You say that it has been about a year since your high school graduation in mystic falls. Presently, it has been 258 years since you and I walked off the field.”

He paused, waiting for her response.

“Oh god. I- , so I’ve-, you’re telling me I’ve _time traveled?”_ She breathed.

“It would appear so. Caroline, what you did was incredibly reckless. You know the Salvatores would walk all over you to save Elena. You can’t just put yourself at risk like that!”

“I know it wasn’t smart but I had to do something! I knew it wasn’t right to play with magic that intense! I knew there would be consequences!” She argued.

“So you thought it better that you suffer the consequences instead?! Caroline, time travel is dangerous, incredibly so. I have only seen it once in my existence and the outcome was dire for the subject of the magic.”

“I know, I thought I could just get us both out of the way, okay, I just had to stop it.”

“But you didn’t!” He was standing above her now, practically lecturing her. “You don’t understand! It’s not a matter of life and death, its a matter of existing or not. This magic… it won’t just kill you. You won’t go to the other side. There’s no chance of getting a dark witch to bend the rules to get you back. You cease to exist completely.” He sat down on the mahogany coffee table in front of her, grasping her soft hands in his large ones.

“Look at me, Caroline. I cannot face the reality of something like that happening. If you died I would torture every witch on this planet to get you back. If you wanted to leave me I would let you. If you wanted nothing to do with me, it would kill me, but your happiness trumps mine. But you listen to me, if you ceased to ever exist. If your soul was lost to time and space, I don’t even know what I’d do. I’d go mad. The thought of it panics me, I feel claustrophobic, lost.”

She sat there, looking into his pained eyes. For the first time it really hit her, his unyielding love for her. It was scary and all-encompassing but it also excited her.

Here she sat, centuries in the future, and the most powerful man in existence was telling her that he couldn’t live without her being on this planet. This man who had been through every evil known to man and had committed those same evils to others was telling her that no torture could match her not being in his world in any facet. _Oh my._

“Can I ask you something?” She began after a few moments of quiet contemplation.

“Anything.” He clearly wasn’t expecting her question.

“What happens? When I come to you?”

He drops his head and chuckles quietly, “The first time I get to see you after that night in Mystic Falls is at your fourth college graduation. I got the invite in the mail and made my way to Duke to see you give your speech as Valedictorian. The next morning you showed up at my hotel door and demanded that I take you on holiday for a week as my graduation gift to you.” He reminisced.

“I took you to Kauai. We spent the next week exploring the island. We stayed in separate rooms at the St. Regis on Hanalei Bay. You didn’t let me so much as kiss your cheek. On the morning of our last day I woke up to find you had checked out on your own. I wasn’t mad, I knew you weren’t ready yet. We had such a perfect week though. It was the first time you weren’t letting anything get in our way. You weren’t concerned about your friend’s judging us or anything. We had such a lovely week.” He gushed.

“Well what happened next?” She asked, trying to hide how enthralled she was, hearing her own future.

His smile rivaled the lights of Paris as he continued. “For one week, every year on your birthday, you let me take you someplace new. We never kissed, never held hands, we existed simply as dear friends for years. It was in that time that I truly fell in love with you.” His eyes, though directed at their entwined hands, were unfocused as he spoke.

“I ran into you unexpectedly one year in Miami. I had only stopped in the city to drop the body of an enemy into the ocean,” he smirked and she rolled her eyes.

“I saw you dancing in this tiny salsa club on the beach. You were wearing this little red bikini and glistening with sweat. I tried to leave without disturbing you, to let you continue to live your life without my interference. But I couldn’t. Next thing I knew I had my arms around you as we swayed to the music. We made our way to your room at the Fontainebleau. We didn’t leave for three days.”

She couldn’t believe it, was the original hybrid _blushing?!_

“After that I found that I couldn’t bring myself to walk away. I readied myself for the sting of your rejection,but you did what only you can do and surprised the hell out of me when you asked to come back to Chicago with me. We’ve been together ever since.”

She had been staring at his hands in hers for the duration of his retelling. As he finished up, she couldn’t speak, so overwhelmed with his words. All she could do was stare at the shining platinum band on his left hand. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who put a ring on his finger, the ring that matched the one wrapped around her own ring finger.

_Holy Shit_

“I need a drink, I can’t breathe, where’s a window,” she started to hyperventilate. She has seen her future. She has seen what comes of the next 300 years. It’s too much for one person to take in so quickly. She felt as though she were going to pass out. But she was a vampire, how was she about to pass out?

“It’s the magic, its not strong enough to tether your being to a different part of space and time.”, he answered.

_Oh, guess I said that all out loud_

_“_ Caroline, I’ll take care of this, I swear it to you.” He grabbed her shoulders, looking into her eyes as she stood there silently trying to process.

“But what if you can’t, what if I don’t-“ she said numbly.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he caught her eyes, “I have a vested interest in getting you home, Caroline. You have a long life to live, I assure you.” He smiled softly.

She looked into his eyes and nodded dumbly. Her mind didn’t feel right, she was way too overwhelmed, she felt weak.

Suddenly, her consciousness left her. Klaus caught her lithe form before she hit the floor. Setting her down on the plush sofa, he grabbed his phone and dialed one of his minions.

“Byron, get me a witch. A powerful one.”


	3. Part 3

Stillness.

That’s the only way to describe the utter stagnancy of the boarding house. Every single body standing in the room was unmoving, breathlessly observing.

“Ehem,” Caroline awkwardly broke the silence, and Klaus’ hold on her with it. She stepped away from him slightly, starting to unravel the situation she found herself in.

“Time travel, love. I’m sure you think it insane, but it looks as though that is what has happened.” Klaus offered softly, he himself still in shock.

“Yeah, that’s what I was starting to gather.” She looked at him, trying to remember how she should regard him. How she should act towards the Klaus she wasn’t supposed to be completely comfortable with, to a Klaus who has yet to be completely comfortable with her.

Ever the planner, Caroline inhaled in preparation to address the gawking onlookers. All she had to worry about was getting back to her time and getting her old self back here. She remembered Klaus telling her about the one time he’s seen time travel attempted when they were on her birthday trip in Bangkok. It wasn’t exactly a spell you wanted to be part of.

Before she got out her first syllable, she was interrupted.

“Oh, for the love of-, You’re _fucking_ kidding me, right?! This is fake!” Tyler bellowed, desperately seeking agreeance from others in the living room.

“Klaus had to do something to her, Caroline would _never_ be with him!” He spit out, nearing who he thought was his girlfriend and his sire. “No one could love him, and he couldn’t love anyone. He can’t even love his family! He’s the devil! He is the reason my mother is dead, he’s the reason we’re all unhappy. Caroline, c’mon, snap out of it!”

Klaus, who had been standing uncharacteristically limp with his hands at his sides after the drama that had just unfolded, grew irritated at the boy’s words. Gritting his teeth, the original began deciding whether to give the pup a verbal lashing or a physical one. Or both. But before he could interject Tyler’s rampage, Caroline spoke up.

“Tyler. Stop.” She placed her hand up in a placating motion. “I understand you are confused, and I know it’s off-putting to have so many questions with no way to get answers. I have no desire to hurt you. You’re a good guy and you do have every right to hate Klaus.” She began calmly but sternly, her words grating slightly at Klaus, though he said nothing.

“But I want to be _very_ transparent about this. You _will not_ sully his name like that.” She absolutely growled the words. “Call him the devil if you want but don’t forget his mercy. You were scorned by him, but he let you live, and he let us be. You have _no idea_ what he’s capable or deserving of. Do not deign to speak of him like you know his soul. Do not deign to speak of me like you know mine. You never did.”. She finished viciously, finger pointing out to emphasize her words and fire in her eyes

Tyler looked at her like she had slapped him. He absolutely could not fathom what she had just said to him. He felt so embarrassed. He felt his cheeks warming, he felt the shake in his hands. He wanted to bruise her right back, he wanted to prove his stature to the group, and most of all he wanted to rip the original hybrid standing to the left to absolute shreds. He was feral.

Klaus, on the other hand, stood still as he observed with wide eyes. He-, he didn’t know what to do. He had too much going on in his brain. He couldn’t believe what was happening.

He was happy, yes. Caroline had just told off his insolent hybrid in front of all of her friends. He had wanted her to see Tyler for how insignificant he really was for so long. And she didn’t just tell him off either, she annihilated the poor pup. All in defense of _him_. This bubbly little blonde had gone rabid in order to defend the ‘devil’, to quote Tyler’s chosen moniker for him. So yes, he was absolutely enraptured by the gracefully vicious blonde.

But he also felt wary. For a man who had spent over a year trying to convince the headstrong girl to let him show her what life could be outside of this puny town, he felt utterly shocked by her touch. People didn’t just touch him. Of course, he had many dalliances through the years, but he always controlled their interactions and relations. He had hugged Elijah once or twice through the centuries but only in time of deep despair or strife, a time when it felt as though the hug was the last vestige of humanity left of them. No one had ever been so _casual_ , so _comfortable_ with him.

The thought of a tiny little thing like her taking control of him, of his actions, of his movements? It may have excited him in the bedroom but in life, in front of enemies, it downright frightened him. He was uncomfortable with the intimacy. The intimacy that went beyond a romp, went into the very fibers of his being. The intimacy of this girl he had known for so little _seeing_ his soul and _knowing_ his heart, of holding his body and contorting it to her whim. 

So, she has always understood him, yes. In ways others never could. And, yes, maybe they were much the same. He had said so himself that night in the Doppelgänger’s home. Bu- but…..he was the Original Hybrid. He was the most powerful being to exist. How could she know him so deeply, understand him so crucially, decipher him so easily? How could he let her? How could he allow himself to be so weak, so tamed? It unnerved him. He had known at graduation that Caroline wasn’t ready to go with him. But never once had he taken a moment to consider whether or not _he_ was ready for her to come.

Caroline was an enigma, an absolute star shining bright in his inky skies. Was he actually prepared for that star to blow up in his broken galaxy? Is he even equipped for her supernova?

He stared to a spot on the floor blankly as his subconscious raced, his eyes just slightly unfocused as the room fell away from him. His moment of inner monologue was cut off as the short and burly hybrid pounced on him like an untamed animal, two sets of fangs ready to do their damage.

Klaus flashed out of his stupor, getting into a stance more fit for fighting than the dumbfounded posture he had held for the past few minutes. But before the younger hybrid could reach him, he was pulled out of the air and smashed to his back on the floor by none other than Caroline. She forced his chest back down roughly when Tyler fought to stand back up. In their tug of war, and in his slightly unhinged state, Tyler snapped at her, piercing her forearm with his deadly fang.

Caroline backed up, in shock that Tyler would really go so far in his efforts to get away from her just to attempt to hurt the original hybrid. Klaus ripped Tyler’s body from the floor by his short, dark hair, forcing him to look him in the eye. “If you ever try something so stupid again, I’ll rip out your spleen and force it down your gullet.” He threatened before snapping Tyler’s neck using only the hand gripped in his hair and Tyler’s body weight to do it.

As Tyler’s lifeless body fell to the floor Klaus let out a huff, still facing away from the rest of the inhabitants of the living room. He would never admit it to even his closest confidant, but he felt buried. He was inundated with the drama, events, and thoughts the past few hours had burgeoned him with. He had to ignore his introspection for the time being. He wanted to assure Caroline’s safety and then get the hell out of here.

“Shit, Caroline, are you okay?” Stefan asked. Damon had flashed Elena upstairs when Tyler went for Klaus. Bonnie had followed them at Stefan’s silent request. Whether it was for her safety or to prevent anything happening between his brother and Elena, that was a toss-up.

Caroline. The hybrid bite. _Shit._

The last thing Klaus’ frazzled mind needed was to feed her his blood. It was far too intimate a moment, one he was suddenly hesitant to offer her after the day’s events.

“Don’t worry about it, Stef, I’m fine.” She acquiesced.

“No, Caroline! No, you’re not bloody fine!” Klaus exploded suddenly. He couldn’t help it. He was facing feelings he couldn’t handle right now. He was seeing a future he wanted, but one he didn’t know how to lay siege to. He was caught between his feelings for this girl and his fear of himself.

Facing the two vampires, he continued “You’ve decided to act like an imbecile and interfere in magic you know nothing about! And then you’ve decided to do it again by interfering in violence not directed towards you. What are you _doing_?! Wha- What are you doing to me?” His vigor fizzled as he reached the end.

She didn’t answer, what was she supposed to say. She knew he was saturated in emotion and realities he wasn’t prepared for. She knew that trying to reason with him was a waste of time. The best thing to do for everyone was to get herself home and get, well, _herself_ back here.

“Look, nothing here is normal. I know this is a lot to wrap heads around. Why don’t we all just breathe, get Bonnie back down here, and fix this?”, she proposed.

“Care,” Stefan said, “You have to drink some of his blood. I don’t think we can get you back before you start hallucinating.” He said, gesturing towards the arm that was bitten.

“Yes, please,” Klaus began rolling up his left sleeve, “why don’t you do what you do best and force me to fix all your problems. Here love, take, take, take, you’re clearly so good at it.” He continued lashing out in cold sarcasm.

Okay, she _knew_ she should go easy on him. She knew he was frightened by her actions earlier. He was a man convinced that love was weakness, and he had just found out that he was married, or at least he would be. If she was in his shoes, she would have thrown every cold-blooded insult at him she could conjure. But damn it why did he always have to be so difficult?! So instead she decided to make him really squirm. 

“Oh, _my love,_ ” She taunted back, “There’s really no need.” She sauntered over to him, showing her perfectly healed porcelain forearm, “You see, I had my fangs buried in your neck this morning while _you_ were buried inside me. I still have plenty enough in my system to take care of a little nick from a fang.” They glared at each other for a fraction of a second, the tension crackling like lightning.

“I see that bitchy cheerleader attitude never fully leaves your system.” Damon chimed in, coming down the stairs with the other two girls. “I also see that you’re always the desperate one, to fall into his bed.” He finished as the three of them made their way to the center of the room.

“Ugh, whatever, Damon. Let’s just get to work on getting me back.”

“So, wait, you’re really with him? I-, I can’t believe you, Care. He killed Jenna! He killed me… he’s horrible.” Elena whined.

“He’s bad, Caroline, he always will be.” Bonnie inputted

“Yeah, yeah, so are all of us.” Caroline cut off the lecture. “Why don’t you have this conversation with me when we’re all in the correct time. When we’ve all lived through the same things that I have. There’s no sense in arguing it in current circumstances.”

“Well, maybe we don’t want to help you. You jumped in the way of the spell, sounds like your problem.” Damon shrugged, pointing his fingers her way as he wiggled his eyebrows maliciously.

“Damon shut up. C’mon this could have major repercussions, we’ve gotta set things back to normal.” Stefan argued

“Really Stef? Do we? Who’s gonna make us?” Damon held his hands out, as if asking the room.

“I will.” Klaus finally spoke up, avoiding Caroline as best he could to get to Bonnie. “Fix it, witch. Need I throw another threat, or can we skip that bit, both of us knowing you’ll be dead if you don’t do as I say?”

“Fine.” She held up her chin at him in defiance. A few tense seconds went by before Caroline spoke up.

“Okay. Well I think a little research is a good a place as any to start. Bon, why don’t you tell us what you can and then we can all grab a grimoire and get digging?”

“Well, the spell I did was bound by the Doppelgänger. I could draw power from Elena, which gave me more control in pulling her being between times. I- I don’t really have that ability with you.”

Oh, okay. Shit.

“Okay, so maybe we find something you can draw strength from?” Caroline offered.

“Yeah, I think that sounds smart.” Bonnie qualified.

As everyone dispersed around the room, grimoires in hand, Klaus remained standing in place a few moments before storming out of the house and slamming the door behind him.

As the sound reverberated around the room, all eyes moved to her. “He’s fine, he just needs to slough off some of the extra energy and cool off the edge of the anger before he’ll be able to focus clearly.” She explained calmly with a quick little smile.

“Oh good, the Hybrid-Tamer Barbie collection _is_ in the works. Tell Mattel I’d love a white oak stake accessory.” Damon quipped.

“Hmm, I’m not sure about that but I know it comes with an ass whooping for a certain self-centered Salvatore.” She cracked back at him with a glower. She was getting tired again.

_Am I going to pass out again? What’s with that?_

She settled down on the settee from earlier, grimoire in hand. Consciousness left her abruptly.

\- - -

Her eyes fluttered. She looked around.

_Okay, this thing is so comfortable! I am buying this bed! I mean I guess I already have but I mean like way sooner!_

She blinked to clear her vision the room was cool and quiet.

_Did Klaus take me to bed and tuck me in?!_

She pushed back the cashmere throw blanket that nestled her in so nicely as she readied to stand. Speaking of, where was the big bad? She explored the vast bedroom for a minute.

The floors were a beautiful herringbone pattern in white cherrywood. All the furniture was the most deeply rich mahogany, the same mahogany as the coffee table Klaus had been perched on before she passed out. It complimented the cream walls beautifully. The thick, silk, emerald bedding matched the heavy floor-to-ceiling drapes that framed the exquisite balcony.

Yeah, she wouldn’t be surprised if future-her designed this place. She LOVED it!

As she brushed her fingers over the luxurious velvet chair that sat near one of the windows, she rounded to corner to the closet.

_Oh, holy shit._

The magnificent room held as much haute couture as fashion houses could design. Furs, silks, and cashmeres galore. Suits of the same caliber lined the north wall. _His and Her_. In the center stood a glass island that housed accessories, watches, and fine jewels. Her eyes drank in the beauty of the precious stones and metals before freezing on one piece in particular.

The bracelet. _The_ bracelet. _His_ bracelet.

She slid the glass drawer open and felt the cool diamonds. She picked it up to examine the piece of jewelry she had thrown back at the hybrid all that time ago.

“You requested that back after our first year as a couple.” Klaus startled her from the doorway into the closet where he was leaned casually. “You told me if I wanted your eternity then you wanted my infinity.”

He slowly walked up to her and gently took the bracelet from her trembling fingers, clasping it around her elegant wrist. She swallowed deeply, trying to calm her nerves. This was a lot to take in. Before she had time to truly panic, he interrupted.

“Come,” he offered her his elbow, just as he did on the night of her high school graduation. “I’m sure you’re hungry, and I have a witch with answers for us.”

As they walked arm in arm out of the bedroom, she took one last glance and the incredible crown molding, taking notes, making sure she remembers exactly how to design this place. It hit her then. There she stood, 20-year-old Caroline, taking notes and making plans for her future. Making plans for her future with _Klaus._

He led her back to the ivory sofa she had awoken on earlier. _God that felt like hours ago_. “Petra.” He beckoned, and out of nowhere a brunette with a pixie haircut appeared. “Caroline needs blood.” Without argument the woman went to what Caroline could only assume was the kitchen.

_Good to know he’s bossy as ever. No please, no thank you, just do it._

He whipped out his phone, shooting off a text. “I conversed with our best witch while you rested. Ahna has some answers, but not all. You’ve given her time to research while you rested, more than I would have offered her otherwise.”

Moments later, Petra returned with a tray in her hands and two bodies following her. She set the tray on the coffee table in front of Caroline before making her way out of the room.

“Thank you,” Caroline got out before she was gone. Petra turned and smiled kindly at Caroline, “Of course, I look forward to getting you back safe and sound, Caroline.”

Caroline smiled to herself and looked down at the tray, seeing a bag of B+ and O- on the tray next to two ornate crystal tumblers. Klaus turned back to her, having been talking with Byron briefly. “Ah, here my love, let me.” He declared as he popped the B+ open, pouring her a generous amount before doing the same for himself with the O-.

He sits down next to Caroline. Far enough apart that their thighs don’t touch, but he does sling his free arm over the back of the couch, right over her shoulders but not touching. He’s making sure she is comfortable. He finished a sip of the blood, sighs loudly, and then barks out his commands.

“Alright witch, I trust you have a solution. We don’t have all day, out with it. Chop-chop before I chop something of yours off.”

“Klaus! Be nice! She’s helping us after all!” she berates him. He looks shocked for a moment and then smirks at her and throws her a cheeky wink.

_Ugh, bastard!_

“Sorry about him, he’s grumpy.” Caroline takes the reins of the conversation. “So, uh, what do you know so far?”

“I might need to ask you the same question, I need to know every last detail of the spell that got you here.” Ahna replied.

“Oh, okay. Uhm, I was not meant to be on the receiving end of the magic. My friend was turned into a vampire, against her desires. She’s been that way for a little over a year. It’s kinda changed her. My other two friends, her boyfri- her _friend_ and his brother really want her human again.”

“Not Possible.” Ahna interrupted.

“Yeah, I know. Defying all the odds is kind of our groups M.O.”

“That, and being completely oblivious, selfish, and uncaring of you and your needs.” Klaus commented bitterly.

“Yes, well,” she continued, “My friend, Bonnie,”

“A Bennett Witch?” Ahna questioned, verifying the briefing Klaus had given her earlier.

“Yes, Bonnie Bennett, she found a time travel spell. So, she set up a salt circle and she made all these salt shapes in the circle.”

“A sundial” Ahna deduced.

“Yes,” Caroline huffed “And well, she was chanting, and I just knew it wasn’t right, I knew we shouldn’t have been doing it,”

“Messing with time travel? Of course not!” Ahna began to berate

“Okay, you asked for my story, are you going to continue interrupting?” Caroline shouted at the room. Klaus moved his hand on her far shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze before returning it to the back of the sofa.

“Interrupt her again, I’ll cut out your tongue.” Klaus said casually as Caroline relaxed back into the couch. She shot him a small glare but was thankful for the support.

“Anyways, I knew I had to stop her and so I tackled Elena and forced her out of the salt circle. I passed out after that and woke up here. Not in my time and with random blackouts” She finished.

“Hmm, did you break the salt circle? Were you directly in the middle of it?”

Caroline struggled to not roll her eyes at the haughty witch. “I don’t know, I told you I passed out. I have no Idea how my body was positioned or if the salt circle was broken.”

“Let’s get on with it, tell us what you think you know.” Klaus cut in.

“Well, I would assume your Bennett Witch would have consulted with the ancestors before attempting such heavy magic. She had to have heard of the possible consequences. She would have fabricated something to guarantee she could control where her power was focused. She had to have tailored the spell for your friend and she had to have figured out something to bind the spell to her.” Ahna explained.

Caroline racked her brain… Extra magic?? Extra Power? What could Bonnie have tapped into, what could she have tethered the magic to that would have guaranteed it would stay with Elena through space and time? She looked at Klaus for a brief moment, realizing he had already figured it out.

“Elena is the last Petrova Doppelgänger. Bonnie would have been able to tether the magic to Elena because of it.” Klaus said.

“So, where does that leave us?” Caroline looked between Klaus and the witch, desperation starting to sink in. “I’m not a Doppelgänger. The magic clearly isn’t strong enough because I’m passing out every few hours… ho- how am I gonna get back?!”

Klaus brought his arm to her shoulders, loosely cradling to offer comfort without overwhelming her. “Calm down, love, I promised you we’d figure this out.” He looked back to the witch. “Well,” he prompted.

“I-,I-, we need to find a way to bind the magic to her, a way to enhance the connection it has to her physical form. Both this Caroline and the one in the past…. I don’t know what though, I don’t know what we could do to you now that we could guarantee was done to the past you as well. Y-, you have to both have the same tie to the magic.” Ahna started to worry for her life. She realized that while she may have an answer, she didn’t have a solution. She may die today.

Caroline was looking at her in disbelief. “I don’t have anything to tie me to the magic, I- I-“ She was stuck here. She wasn’t going home. She had nothing to secure the connection to the magic and even if she did, past- er- future her wouldn’t have the same connection. She was fucked.

Suddenly, Klaus stiffened by her side. “Yes, you do.” He looked at her then, eyes wide, realizing he had their answer “You both do.”


	4. Part 4

_“You both do.”_

He said it with such conviction. She looked into his eyes, intense and resolute. Caroline, the witch, and Byron sat staring at the hybrid.

“Is it something that the other Caroline has, or has access to?” The witch questioned.

“Yes, as a matter of fact she just topped up this morning.” Klaus said with a knowing smirk.

“Well…..” Caroline looked at the man sitting next to her with impatience, “What is it?” she barked.

“I am the Original Hybrid. What could possibly be strong enough to rival the power of a Petrova Doppelgänger if not the blood of a being so preternatural?”

“Your blood. Yes. If we get his blood in your system, the Bennett Witch should be able to do the spell as she had originally planned. She can tether her magic to his blood in your system” The witch spoke, “I’ll simply need to contact her.”

“So, all I need to do is drink your blood.” Caroline verified. “You’re certain, uh, _future_ me has it in her system?”, she asked naively.

“Caroline, I promise you, she does.” He grinned at her like the Cheshire Cat. “She’s a greedy thing that one, she’s always sure to take her fill.” He shared salaciously before directing his gaze to the other two standing in the room, “Although, really, how can I blame her when I do the same?”

By now, everyone was a slight bit uncomfortable. They had encroached on territory reserved for lovers. Caroline didn’t really know what to say. She remembered Damon telling Elena how candid and _erotic_ it was to share blood. Apparently, she had no issues being so amorous and carnal with the Hybrid in the future. It felt so inappropriate to think about outside of her hidden fantasies, reserved for lonely nights when her mind couldn’t help but wander.

Thankfully, Ahna cut the slowly building tension. “I’m going to work on contacting the witch. I’ll let her know what we’ve uncovered and verify that she is all set for the spell. I’d assume we’ll have things set right by nightfall.”

What a relief. She needed to get home. She needed to get away from Klaus and his smooth talk and enticing sent and loving eyes.

“While I do that, get your blood in her system.” Ahna finished.

Oh God. She was going to have to drink his blood again. And at a time like this. _Great._

With that, the witch fled to the large balcony through the French doors on Caroline’s right, Byron following her to keep an eye on her.

The blonde and the Hybrid sat on the couch, seven or eight inches separating their thighs. His body slightly angled towards her with his left calf on his right knee and his arm still behind her shoulders, her body pin straight.

“I apologize, love.” He cut the silence after an elongated pause. “It has been my goal since assimilating the breadth of your situation to make you as comfortable as possible. I know you are not yet my wife, and I know you are terribly overwhelmed by the weight of your own future. I should not have dangled such intimacy in your face.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s alright I guess. If I ever remember this in some way, I’m sure my future self can reprimand you better than I can.”

He smiled at that, “Yes, you’ve always had a knack for putting me in my place in ways no one else can.”

A beat or two went by, both knowing what needed to happen next but neither ready to move.

“Well love, no time like the present.” He offered her his pale left wrist.

She gulped, slowly reaching out to take his veiny forearm in her hand. Why did this all feel so heavy? She had drunk from his veins before and it was nothing sexual. She was on her way home; she should have been dying to get to that blood. Why did this feel like a goodbye? And why did she feel so disappointed.

She held his arm for a few seconds, staring at the delicate blue network vined under his skin. Goosebumps traveled up his arm, into the sleeve of his Henley bunched at his elbow. How interesting a thought, that the single most diabolical and dangerous being to grace the planet has such sensitive skin, such fragile veins. She stared, lost in her thoughts for a breath.

Slowly, so tenderly, he slid his palm into hers. Her eyes found his.

“You’re going home, Caroline. And you’re going to live an extraordinary life.” He reassured her.

Why did she feel strangled at the thought? Why did the prospect sound so _lonely_? Her wariness must’ve been painted on her face because her Hybrid began to speak.

“You are strong, Caroline. You have so much to achieve, people to astonish. You are _never_ alone. You’ll never be alone.” He spoke gently.

One last time, she took a gulp, still staring into his cerulean depths. She grabbed his wrist again, brought the gossamer flesh to her pink lips, and bit.

\- - -

She felt a friendly hand on her shoulder, kindly shaking her body into consciousness.

“Caroline, you’re at the boarding house, you fainted again but you’re waking up now.” Stefan attempted to acclimate her to the situation.

“Don’t worry, Stef, I’m good. Not in the right time, but I’m good.” She responded.

Looking around the house, she saw Bonnie, Damon, and Elena dispersed on different pieces of furniture, raking through the ancient texts. It mostly seemed that they were ignoring her. She was essentially a traitor. Her existence confirmed all their biggest fears. They don’t ever kill Klaus and she would eventually pick him over them.

“Tyler left. He might be back later, but he needed to breathe.” Stefan informed her.

“And Klaus?” She asked the loaded question.

“He hasn’t returned,” He looked at the floor as he replied. “Come on, let’s get you some blood. Who knows what these bouts of unconsciousness are doing to you?”

He helped her stand and they made their way through the dark and intricate hallways to the kitchen. Pulling a random blood bag out of the small stockpile in the upstairs fridge, he tossed it her way and began to speak.

“So, this is all very strange,” he stated the obvious, “But as weird as it is for us, I know it can’t be easy for you either. How are you?”

God, she missed this, she missed her dear friend. He helped her through so much of her transition and her teenage drama. “Well, overwhelmed, but not hopeless.”

“That sounds just like my Care, I’m happy to know you don’t change.” He said fondly.

They stood in a slightly awkward but amicable silence as she drank the blood. “Thank you, Stefan. You’ve always been a rock to the people around you. I haven’t yet in my years had a chance to really say it, but you are family to me. We don’t always agree, and we can’t always be there for each other when needed but please know I will never turn you away. You always have a comrade in me.”

He considered her words, realizing the weight they held as well as the inevitable rough patch their friendship would face. “So, Klaus, huh?”

“Klaus.” She verified his heavy question with a wistful smile.

“I know it’s a lot to drink in in a mere few hours, but we’re meant to be.”

“God knows I’m not one to pass judgement on loving people you’re not supposed to.” He qualified.

“Thanks, Stef.”

“Speaking of, maybe you should try to find him. We wouldn’t want him killing half the town. You might have a few more answers for him than our Caroline when we get her back.”

“You’re right.” She tossed the empty blood bag in the bin and made her way to the back door of the house before whirling around to face him once more. “Uh, this is a little weird, but do you have a pair of clothes I could borrow.”

He looked at her strangely before leading her upstairs to his room.

\- - -

“Klaus? Klaus?! I know you’re out here. C’mon, we’ve gotta get this set back to normal. Just come back, I won’t even try to talk to you, I’ll leave you alone! Killing people isn’t gonna solve anything!”

She had been scouring the forest for nearly half an hour. It was just before dusk, but night was fast approaching.

As much as it may have freaked him out, she knew him, and she knew what he would do to find some semblance of control in a time like this. So, tucking the clothing underneath her arm, she found a small, sharp rock and slipped it quickly across her palm. Blood began swirling down her palm and over her wrist.

3.7 seconds, if her count was correct, was all it took to hear the pounding of heavy paws on the forest floor. 5 seconds before she spotted the massive ash and terracotta speckled coat. He growled, froth gathering in his jowls.

“If you’re trying to intimidate me, you won’t. I know you don’t want to see me right now, but we have to set things right. If you kill a bunch of people right now, you’ll probably cause irreparable damage to space and time and then we are all screwed.” She reasoned.

The wolf eyed her, as though squaring her up, before kneeling on his front legs and rapidly shifting. Snapping bones and tearing flesh unfurled before her eyes and soon stood Klaus Mikaelson, bare as day.

Staring at each other for a few seconds, he taunted, “See something you like, love?”

“Ah, very much. But I don’t think you’re man enough to take me yet.” Her words heavier than the simple sexuality he had started with.

Tossing the clothes his way, she kept the conversation light, “You can thank Stefan for these. As confident as you may be, I’m sure you’ll still appreciate the coverage.”

He caught the black jeans and dark blue t-shirt as he began to dress.

“Sorry, I didn’t think the shoes would fit.”

He remained silent, staring at her with mild apprehension.

She cleared her throat, “I’m impressed, I’ve seen you shift many times, but you told me it took you a long while before you could do it so swiftly. I didn’t realize ‘a long while’ meant like a year.”

No response.

“Look, I know you’re all paranoid about this and it’s a lot to just have to accept so you really don’t have to talk to me. Let’s just get back, yeah?”

They began the trek back to the boarding house silently. Only the sounds of nature filled their ears for several minutes.

“You’ve seen me shift before?” he suddenly broke the quiet reverie.

She was briefly startled but she looked at him and answered. “Uh, yeah.”

“Hmm, is it safe for you.”

She was slightly dumbfounded at his question. At her expression he continued. “I mean, is there any fear of my wolf hurting you? I may have control of my shifting, but I find the bloodlust to be nearly unfathomable in my wolf form. It seems that you are unafraid of my wolf, and my wolf does not see you as a threat.”

“Oh, uhm, yes. It’s safe.”, she contemplates whether to keep going, but decides to go for it, knowing he’d be happy to get more information on the side of himself he was still learning.

“For a long time, you didn’t even tell me that you were turning. I guess I should have assumed, you’ve wanted to access that side of yourself for so long, of course you’d be turning.”

When she saw that he was clearly intrigued, she continued “When I found out I asked to see. You refused me for months because you couldn’t control yourself in that form. One night, in New Orleans, Marcel finally went too far, and you shifted right in the city. Elijah had to get you out of there before dawn. He called me; I was in Miami at the time. You hunted him down, no recognition to who you were against. You had Elijah pinned, your jaw clenched around his throat, when I found you.”

They had paused their walking, him swiveling around to see her face, completely enthralled in the story of his own future.

“I called out to you, then, and approached you as non-threateningly as I could. For some reason, we still don’t really know why, you recognized me. You followed my out of the city and back into the bayou. You woke up the next day with only a fuzzy memory of what you felt.” She completed the story.

He stared at her so deeply then, not knowing what to say or what to think. “What about now? In your time?”

“You practice control, just like you always have. You’ve learned to tame your beast well enough to access your human mind. No more brotherly-snackage.” She tried to joke.

He began walking again in silent contemplation and she followed. She should shut up, but that just wasn’t really in her nature and the silence was starting to grate on her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked for you when I woke up here. If I had known it wasn’t my-time-Klaus that I would be getting, I wouldn’t have involved you. I apologize for bothering you, for throwing you off.”

He stopped abruptly again, ever with the flare for dramatics. He didn’t turn to face her, but he did cock his head slightly towards her. “You did the right thing. I will always want to be there for you in your times of need, Caroline.” He began walking again.

So much more silence, _this is getting irritating_ , but she would not break the small alliance they had started. Surprisingly, it was him to break the quiet.

“I am sorry, Caroline, to have made you feel like a burden. I suppose I don’t do myself any favors getting into your good graces. It’s a wonder we ever end up together with my stubborn output.” He says, bitter at his inability to be what she wants, and who she needs.

“Klaus, hey,” she grabs his muscular bicep to face his body towards hers. She looks up into his eyes then, and oh would she kiss him if she thought it wouldn’t spook him. “Klaus, you- we,” she grasps for the right words.

“Listen to me.” She finally settles on the verbiage, “You have always given me the space I need to be my own person. You never pressured me or pushed me to be something I wasn’t ready to be. It took me centuries to fall in love with you proper, to be _yours._ You gave me the time I needed. How could I be upset with you for being scared or overwhelmed when you’re facing everything now that took me centuries to prepare for?”

He didn’t know what to expect out of her mouth when she had grabbed his arm, but _that_ wasn’t it. Looking at her now, he felt so calm. He couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why he had been so reproachful earlier. Looking at her rosy cheeks, and her elegant nose, to her thick lashes and crystalline eyes, he couldn’t ever understand why he was the way he was. How he could turn away his angel, how he could run from his light.

“You waited for me to be yours, I will wait for you to be mine.” She concluded quietly.

He swallowed so thickly, so overwhelmed in emotion but still so peacefully floating in this little moment of theirs. “May I try something?” he asked.

She was confused for a beat before simply answering, “Yes.”

He brought his rough hand to her plush cheek, his other cupping her lithe neck. He slowly, so slowly, creeped his face towards hers. He was almost apprehensive of his own moves. He had always been so confident, so assured in his motions. Even she was shocked to see such anxious actions from the man.

Then, finally, he brushed his plump red lips against her soft pink ones. The kiss was innocent, just two warm mouths joining, but it was still so intense, so meaningful. After many moments, they both pulled back, staring so deeply into the others’ eyes.

“I am yours, Caroline. I am.” He reassured confidently. “Thousands of years and so much pain. And only you have ever begun to soothe it. How could I not be?”

They continued staring at each other, lost in a world of their own until a far-off voice broke their connection.

“Caroline? Klaus?!”

“We’re here, Stefan!” She yelled before flashing back the boarding house, hybrid in tow.

Stefan stared at them both suspiciously, “Bonnie has some news.”

\- - - 

“So basically, we just try the spell over again, like practiced? His blood will be enough to tether the magic?” Elena recapped. Bonnie had been in witchy connection with Ahna and she was readying the room for the spell about to take place.

“Yeah, more than enough. We’ll have our Caroline back.” Bonnie answered, pouring out the last bit of salt to complete the sundial.

“Oh great, God knows we can’t live without Blondie.” Damon snarked.

“Damon,” Elena berated, Stefan watching their repartee uncomfortably.

“I want to thank you all, for helping set things right today. I know you’ve learned a lot of big information and you aren’t comfortable with it.” Caroline addressed the room, realizing this would again be the last time she saw many of them. “I know it will be hard, but I think it’s best to live life as we were. Try to forget today and live as normally as possible. I know you may hate me, but this is bigger than all of us. Go easy on the old me.” she faced the girls.

“Bonnie, Elena. I know things will be rocky when I am returned, and I know what the future brings. But please, know just this, I love you both so dearly. You were the sisters I never had, and I will always, always love you both, no matter what.”

She turned, looking to Stefan, “I’m always here for you, okay? Whenever you need a friend and you think you can’t come find me for whatever reason, ignore that reason and come find me, okay?” He nodded as she stepped into the sundial.

She glanced at Klaus then. Trying to say everything in one look, one moment. He looked through to her soul as she looked at his. He drank in the expression he knew he wouldn’t see on her face for a very many decades, the look she bestowed upon him when she first woke up and saw him. The look of pure, unadulterated love and devotion. He would spend the next century dreaming of that look, immortalizing it on canvas, waiting to see it in those eyes once more.

Bonnie began chanting. Caroline felt the magic surround her. She felt so close to home, but so sad to leave the man she loved, knowing he faced many troubled and trials ahead. Knowing his loneliness would sneak up and suffocate him from time to time before she was there to soothe it.

As the magic grew in power, Damon shouted out at her. “What, no goodbye for me, Barbie?”

She smirked sourly and flipped him off before the magic overtook her form and she collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Just wanted to say I love you all and I'm so happy you're enjoying the story. LET'S BE FRIENDS! Come find me on tumblr, I'm @klauscarolove there too! Or drop your tumblr in the comments and I'll follow you! This fic has an awesome cover made by @klarolineagainnaturally (you should follow her, too, she's amazing!) so you should check it out. I'll be writing a lot more once I finish this fic so I don't want you to miss out! <3


	5. Part 5

_Here we go again_

She thought somewhat bitterly as she began to rouse from unconsciousness. 

_This is getting old. At least this time I’m not on the floor again._

As she had the thought, she realized that while she wasn’t on the floor, she wasn’t on that god awful settee at the boarding house either. What was she laying on?

_Oh my god! My Couch! That means I must be….._

“Wake up, sweetheart.”

_Klaus._

And God did she pray she was back to her time and this was her-time-Klaus because she has never wanted to hold the man more. She had never been in a situation where he was the thing holding them back. It was always her friends or her preconceived notions, never him. Not until she had travelled back in freaking time and Klaus was a good few centuries off-kilter. It was a cathartic experience to say the least but she was ready to be home and in his arms.

“Caroline, how do you feel?” He asked experimentally, wanting this to be the Caroline he could touch and hold freely. Wanting this to be the Caroline that remembered all of their stories and travels.

“Klaus?” She experimented as well. She knew she was in her home, wearing her clothes, lying on her couch. But God she could not handle the emotional turmoil if someway, somehow, this wasn’t her Klaus. 

“It’s me, my love”

He called her my love. And his hair was longer, like her Klaus. This had to be him, right? Her attention was pulled to her right wrist as his fingers held and caressed there. The Bracelet. He was testing the waters with her, too. This _was_ her Klaus!

She absolutely threw herself at him. Every bit of her body attaching to some part of his. White couch be damned, she brought her legs up and around his middle, fearful to let him go.

“Oh God, you’re here. _I’m_ here.”

“Yes, and you’re never leaving again. If Bonnie Bennett wasn’t dead already I’d go torture her myself.”

Under normal circumstances, she’d berate him over his casual threat to a dead old friend. But not now. She pulled back from his large shoulders to looks him in the eye for a beat before grabbing his face and kissing him for all she was worth. 

_Gods, he had missed this._

He sat there, kissing his girl like his very essence of his being was sourced from her. He knew they had to talk, but he couldn’t quite focus on anything that wasn’t her soft little tongue doing sinful things in his mouth. That tongue that he knew could do far more sinful things other places. 

As he readied to stand to take her into the bedroom he was hit with _another_ wave of pain in his head. He had had two since Caroline had drank his blood and passed out shortly after. He pulled back abruptly, grasping his head.

“Wha- what is it? Are you okay? Klaus??” Caroline was dazedly questioning.

“Yeah, I’m alright.”

“What was that? What’s happening?” She began to fuss over him, as if he wasn’t the most powerful being to ever exist.

“Memories, love” he explained vaguely as he encircled her body in his arms and held her closer, their heated moment gone for now.

“What do you mean, memories?”

He simply looked at her pointedly then, as if to say ‘What do you think.’

“You remember?!?!?!?!?” She shouted. She couldn’t believe it! He had known this whole time! He maybe just didn’t _know_ he knew.

“It would appear so.”

“Have you always known? Have you just been waiting for this to happen?!”

“Gods no, sweetheart. I would’ve snubbed the plan years ago, too many risks.” He reassured. “It seems as though the memories slipped from my mind a mere few weeks after leaving the boarding house.”

“Are you alright,” she caressed his stubble.

“Sweetheart, you travelled through space and time and you ask if I’m alright? I’m fine. What I’d care to know is how you’re doing.”

“I’m okay.” She nodded. Silence soaked in as they both held each other.

“Would you like to talk about it?” He ventured delicately, “It’s okay to not be perfectly alright, my love.”

“ I am okay, I am. I’m just….analyzing” she finished

“As I would expect.” He smiled fondly.

“It was nice. To see Bonnie and Elena. Stefan. To have a chance to say things to them that I hadn’t before.”

A moment of silence stretched on.

“I’d like to find Stefan. I don’t think he should be on his own anymore.” She finally broke the quiet. “I don’t know how Damon and Elena can seem to just not care about his well being anymore but I sure as hell do and I’m done letting him brood. He needs friends.”

“As you wish, I’ll have a lackey on it in an hour.”

“And it wouldn’t hurt to look for Damon. I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. Maybe a little ass whooping, too. Show him what’s in store for Barbie _this_ season.”

He scrunched his brow in confusion, but chuckled in amusement. “Any opportunity to harm the little prat is a good one. Worry not, love, I’ll make it a priority.”

“And I want to visit Bonnie’s grave. Bring her some flowers. Maybe Daffodils, she always liked them.”

“Consider it done, I’ll have the jet prepared for next week.” He nuzzled her neck. 

After the air settled for a beat, she decided to fish for knowledge, “So what happened here, while I was gone?” 

He smirked against her skin. “Wouldn’t you like to know, love.”

“Oh, c’mon, I know myself. You might be charming but I’m sure I was tough enough to resist you.” She said haughtily.

“Are you sure?” He taunted.

“Oh whatever.” She rolled her baby blues at him. 

“Come now, love, don’t be upset. You can rest assured we didn’t get into half as heated situations as the two of us apparently did.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She pulled away slightly and scoffed at him.

“Quite the ravishing kiss you gave me there, I’ve half a mind to be jealous of my past self.” He continued to rile her.

She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder at that. “Yeah like I was the only one there with hungry lips, Mr. wolf man.” She rolled her eyes and attempted to stand.

“I don’t get to remember? It’s some original hybrid bullshit that _he_ gets to remember.” She mumbles mostly to herself teasingly.

As she had one foot on the floor, ready to raise the rest of her body up, he tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her once more onto his lap.

“Hey!” She balanced herself on his shoulders, acting perturbed.

“I am always hungry for you, my little minx. More so now that I have you back, safe in my arms.” He kissed her shoulder, moving his huge hand up to hold the side of her jaw. 

“Now, in a moment I am going to take you into our bedroom and I am going to tie you up to assure you can go nowhere and for the next few days I am going to bestow upon you every pleasure known to man and vampire until you are begging for reprieve.” She bit her lip as her eyes darkened, his thumb moving to her chin, tilting her head down, closer to his.

“But before that,” he said in a less sexually charged tone, catching her irises with his. 

“You will now remember.” He compelled, his eyes then dropping to watch his muse as his compulsion freed her.

As recognition poured across her features, she blinked a few times. “Oh my god.” She said softly, slightly in shock as the memories came alight in her brain. Every fleeting moment, every wistful glance.

She would have never told him, but it would have bothered her that he held memories of the two of them that she didn’t get to cherish with him. Now, she had them. And they were magnificent.

All she knew to do then was kiss the man. God did she love him, more than she ever thought anyone could love something. 

As their kiss deepened and his hands began groping her pert bum, she pulled back for just a moment to plead. “Make love to me. Please.”

He stood with her in his arms and made his way to the bedroom, lips glued to the love of his life. 

\- - -

Okay, she needed an aspirin. Brains weren’t meant to take this type of a beating, vampire or not. 

She opened her weary eyes.

_Okay, Salvatore Boarding House. That’s a good sign, right?_

She surveyed the room, seeing the faces of her friends and some of her not so much friends.And then there was Klaus, she didn’t really know what to classify him as. God, he didn’t even _know._

What would he do, if he knew of the things she’s seen? 

“Care, hey, are you okay?” Stefan knelt by her, helping her stand from the salt littered floor.

“Yeah I’m good, thank you.”

“Are you…” he questioned

“Me? Er, ME me? Yeah. Everything is back to how it’s supposed to be.” She answered. 

She could feel the heavy tension, the awkwardness that swam in the room.

“Ehem,” Bonnie was the first to break it, “You, ah, time travelled. Your future self was here.”

Her future self, the future self that was with Klaus. Did they know? What if they did? What was she going to do?

“Yeah, but we righted everything, Bonnie just kinda re-did the spell. Pretty easy fix. So,now everything’s back to normal.” Elena offered quickly with a slightly awkward smile.

Stefan eyed Elena for a moment, realizing what the brunette was doing, remembering Caroline’s plead to her old friends. “Yeah. We called Klaus, thinking he might know what to do, but we didn’t end up really needing him. Turns out Bonnie just needed to rest for a minute. What about you, Care, what happened?”

So, they didn’t know? But that didn’t seem possible, unless older her really did keep quiet. But that didn’t quite seem like her. And Klaus came all the way from New Orleans. They wouldn’t bring him here for nothing

_This is so confusing!_

“Uh, nothing crazy. A witch gave me some answers, but I think I just had to wait for Bonnie to do the spell.” She lied.

“Where the hell did you find a witch, Blondie?” Damon questioned, flabbergasted that they were all going to listen to future Barbie’s request and actually let this Klaus business slide. Not on his watch.

That is, until Elena came up beside him and pinched under his arm and gave him a pointed look. 

“She must’ve sensed the time travel magic.” Caroline fibbed. “She approached me.”

The room was still for a breath, everyone accepting this falsehood as their new truth. 

“Well, we’re happy you’re back, Care.” Elena supplied, still standing close to Damon in case he decided to act like the ass he was and screw up the delicate facade. 

“Yeah, don’t ever do anything like that again. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t have gotten you back.” Bonnie came up and hugged her.

Caroline returned the hug, “I’m sorry. Really, I am. It’s just, this wasn’t right. I’m so stupid for just jumping in it like that but time travel isn’t some casual thing. It was…. intense. To say the least.” 

“The very least.” Damon bit out from the corner, leaving to go pour a drink in the other room. Elena followed him, hoping to calm the anger rising in the eldest Salvatore. 

Caroline stood there somewhat awkwardly. “Uhm, what about Tyler?”

At that, a silently standing Klaus fumed and clenched his Jaw. 

Glancing briefly at Klaus, and then focusing on Caroline, Stefan answered. “He, uh, he ran home. Look he might not be in shape to talk right now. Things were a little strange here.”

“Yeah, I guess that doesn’t shock me.” She replied guiltily. 

She didn’t really know what to say. Everyone either didn’t know the truth or silently agreed not to talk about it. She knew she should feel relieved right now, but part of her wasn’t. 

Before anyone else could get out some semblance of words, Klaus cut in. “Well, not that I don’t enjoy your half-baked plots and poorly constructed ideas, I have far more important things to deal with. Thank you for wasting my time.” And without saying another word to any of them, he walked out the door.

Caroline looked at the heavy, wood door that had slammed behind him. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

At the beginning of this day she would have done anything to get out of a room that had him in it. His proximity usually meant she had to be on constant alert, she had to constantly hide from her feelings and block any sort of connection or camaraderie she shared with the hybrid. It was a constant stress and a constant shame on her shoulders.

But now?

Now, all she could think of was the soft way he caressed her shoulder to show silent support when they were talking to Ahna.

Now, all she could feel was the casual lover’s embrace he held her in before discovering that she wasn’t the same Caroline he was expecting her to be.

Now, she could only imagine the look in his eyes when he clasped the bracelet around her wrist.

At that thought, she glanced down to her wrist. She felt the spot where the diamonds once embellished. She felt _sad._ What the hell had happened.

Bonnie was the one to pull her back from her thoughtful abyss.

“We know that you were with future Klaus.”

She looked at the young witch then, fully expecting the berating she thought she deserved.

“And we know the nature of your…..relationship. Or I guess what it will be, eventually.”

Caroline’s eyes shot wide at that.

Stefan looked at Bonnie as she spoke, he joined in to help. “Look, Care I know it’s a lot to take in. None of us really know how to process it. But I think it’s best if we all just act like nothing’s changed. We don’t know how time travel works and we don’t know if this means we could potentially mess things up somehow.” 

Caroline nodded in response. 

“But whatever happens, we love you.” Bonnie said. Stefan nodded in agreeance.

“We don’t know what happens or how it happens. But we know you. And the Caroline I met today, she’s as bright and caring and wonderful as you are right now.” Stefan continued. “And I wouldn’t give that up for the world. Let alone some original hybrid.” He tried to lighten the mood.

Caroline had tears brimming her eyes. She blinked and looked to Bonnie as the witch spoke.

“I hate him, Caroline. I will never be friends with him. I will always despise that man.”

Caroline was ready to have Bonnie disown her before the brunette continued.

“But I love you more, Caroline. I don’t know what he does to convince you but so long as its of your own free will, then I will support you.”

Tears were streaming freely down the blonde vampires face as she pulled her two dear friends into her arms for a group hug.

“Let’s just agree to not talk about it. We’ll keep it normal for now.” Stefan said, pulling away. Both girls agreed.

“I- I think I need to talk to Klaus. Before he leaves town.” 

Bonnie looked at Stefan, asking if he thought that was a good idea with her eyes.

“Is he even still in town?” The witch started. “He might be halfway to Louisiana by now.”

“He headed north when he stepped outside.” Stefan started. “He would’ve headed southwest if he was headed to Louisiana straight away. You might be able to catch him on the outskirts.” He offered.

Caroline was already headed to the door, using every one of her advanced senses to hopefully pick up on the hybrid. “Shit, okay, I need to find him.” 

Before either of the two could make comment, the blonde had flashed north.

_North. What’s North? Why is he heading North?_

Caroline came to a halt in the middle of the forest. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. “Klaus, where are you?” She murmured.

“Need me for anything, love?” He appeared behind her suddenly.

_God he’s fast, I didn’t even sense him!_

“I-, yea-, you just left so suddenly. We didn’t really get the chance to talk.” She said somewhat shyly, recognizing the sharpness in the original. 

“Well, what could we possibly have to talk about? All things are right in the world and I’m free to leave without your little group begging for my constant hand holding.” He bit out.

Why was he seemingly so upset? And why was he nearly glaring? 

“I just, I guess I wanted to say thank you. You didn’t have to come, but you did. So, thank you.”

His sharp glare just slightly faltered. 

When she first awoke as twenty-year-old Caroline once again, he couldn’t help but feel like he had taken a giant few steps back.

But then he remembered what her future-self said to him, he was reassured that giving her time would be best for both of them.

When she immediately asked for Tyler after waking up? Now that pissed him off. And now everyone was going to act as though nothing had happened, that nothing would change. He was once again the enemy. He was once again _her_ enemy.

Needless to say, it was time for him to leave. But before heading home he proved once more, to himself or whoever out there cared, that while he might be the bad guy, he wasn’t the bad guy in _her_ story. 

He headed North, to the Lockwood mansion. He was simply going to compel the boy to forget going to the boarding house today, make up some mundane story for his day instead. If Caroline wanted to ignore the truth in her future, then he was going to be sure his punk of a hybrid didn’t give her any trouble.

All he had now were his own memories, his own few special moments with the woman who apparently would be his wife. Small slices of time he could cling to as he waited for Caroline, and even himself, to come to terms with what this meant.

But then, he heard her venture into the woods, he assumed that she was headed to see Tyler, to tell the pup that everything was right in the world and they were free to galavant as lovers once more. 

He was surprised to hear her mumble _his_ name. She was looking for _him_ , not Tyler. He couldn’t resist her. He flashed up behind her so sickeningly quickly. _Pathetic._

“I suppose I didn’t have to.” He acquiesced softly. “But it certainly didn’t feel like an option when I knew it was you in trouble.”

She looked at him then, and saw some of the softness in his eyes that she had become accustomed to. And she couldn’t resist the next words coming from her mouth. 

“So, I guess you’re right about us.”

He couldn’t believe that she was actually acknowledging their future. He gasped so slightly, but she caught it.

“So, you _were_ with me, future me, today, then?” He verified.

“Yeah. And you and future me?” He nodded in answer.

Quiet stretched briefly between them.

“Why did you come, today? I know Damon wouldn’t have called you for help, he wouldn’t have wanted you to know about things. None of them would’ve.” She stepped slowly closer to him, a mere few feet still separating them. “Why did you come, really?

He looked down into those eyes, again, the same way he had moments before kissing her only a few hours ago. The soft moonlight hit them now, making them shine like he didn’t know they could. 

“You asked me to.” At her slight eyebrow twitch, he expanded. “You had assumed you were asking for the future me, of course. But I have a bit of a bad habit. I can’t seem to stay away when a certain vampire requests my presence.” His lip quirked.

They stared at each other for a while. Caroline was at an impasse of sorts, not sure what to say. She couldn’t look at him like this and _not_ tell him everything, it felt like.

“I was with you. In our apartment, in Paris.”

He smiled bittersweetly at that. “Sounds sublime.”

There were so many things to say, but so many reasons to not say them. This was an odd sort of torture for the both of them. If he knew a way to recreate this type of painful repression, he would use it on future adversaries.

“So, you need to remember emerald drapes and silk sheets.” She smiled at him then. “Because our place was, will be, perfect. I won’t settle for anything less.”

He looked at her in confusion for a second before his face broke into a sweet grin.

“I will be sure to secure plenty of the finest Chinese Mulberry, then.”

They stared into each others eye’s for so long. She wanted to kiss him. She would have, too, if she didn’t have the image of a perfect first kiss on a warm beach in Miami. If she didn’t care about years of friendship, benevolence, _love_ shared between them. She would have. 

“Klaus, I need you to compel me.” His demeanor dropped at that. She was asking him to _what?_

“I don’t understand.” He said, dumbfounded.

She abolished the remaining space separating them, reaching up to hold the side of his rough cheek.

“I think you and I…, we’re meant to be. You told me so much, things…they’re so perfect.” She grabbed both sides of his face.

“There is nothing that could be worth jeopardizing our future. The thought of doing something to mess things up, to mess _this_ up…no. It’s too good. You don’t even know, you can’t possibly….”

He was looking into her eyes somewhat sadly but in understanding. “So I need you to compel me to forget all of those wonderful things. So that I can live them how they’re meant to be lived. So that there's no risk of me overthinking or messing it up.” 

He was nodding and biting his lip harshly; he was accepting it, he would do it.

“Okay. I will wait for you. And you for me. And it will happen as it is meant to. However long it takes.” He smiled as he repeated the sacred words to her.

Her hands slid to his shoulders as his reached for her plump cheeks. His irises shifting, as he spoke “You will forget what you have learned today. You blocked a simple spell meant for Elena. You passed out for a few hours. I came to assist but you were perfectly fine by the time I made it here.”

He should’ve ended it there, he knew, but he wasn’t perfect. Never would be. Sue him. 

“And when you sleep tonight, you will dream of me. Whenever you are lonely, whenever you are sad, whenever you are wanting. Dream of me, and I will make it better.” He finished selfishly. 

He stared at her for a few seconds longer, the compulsion leaving her eyes. She was looking just at him again, for a last few stolen seconds.

He flashed away after that, not knowing it would be the last time he’d see her until that day at Duke, so far in the future.

Caroline blinked, looking around, not totally sure how she got here. Maybe she was headed to Tyler’s? That sounded right. 

Looking at her watch, she noted it was 7:45pm. Maybe she should go to Tyler’s.It was a little late but she needed to talk to him. She’s been trying to breach the ‘Where is this really going’ subject for a couple of months now. For some reason, they just didn’t seem right anymore.

\- - -

He was on the tarmac, waiting for the plane to be taxied to the runway. He’d be back in New Orleans before midnight. 

He mulled through every second he had spent with his blonde vamp over the past few hours, gleaning through every memory, every look, every movement. Brandishing it all to his memory before he reached the last few moments in the woods.

He walked through it in his mind, step by step, word by word, until he arrived to his compulsion and that loaded few seconds thereafter. Those few moments where she looked at him, even without the knowledge of their future due to the compulsion, in that _way_. 

She was compelled to forget, and still she looked at him; looked at him like no one in his thousand years ever had before, looked at him like he was her whole world, looked at him in a way he will dream about for years to come, in a way he will never take for granted. She completely owned him with just _that look._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this! I really have fallen in love with this story. You have all encouraged me so much through this and I honestly don't think I would have finished it without your constant support and interest. Thank you all so much and I really hope you enjoyed! <3


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